ABSTRACT: My plan is to dedicate six months of heavy workout that includes of 3-4 hours daily weight support walking physio-therapy based on programmed
neuro-muscular stim (Sigma Parastep);
To fortify my walking therapy, I will also use novel medicine:
4AP-3-MeOH – potassium channel blocker to enhance my neuro-signals.

Here is longer explanation below with more options.

Below I have posted “My Future therapy” article in April 2017, but this should be renamed as “My Science Fiction future therapy”.
Realistically, chances for me to put together some new elements and create proposed new therapy, without serious funding and connections, are bleak.
Seriously. .. I wish I can have a chance to test this as proposed Unique Therapy, but…
For now I am trying to create home program, to use equipment and resources that I already have, and to keep myself in decent form.
Next, more realistic step will be to figure out if I can access some rehab with established PARASTEP microcomputer controlled functional neuromuscular stimulation (FNS) system walking therapy with Gait support.
I have already tested briefly this therapy in Sci-Step, Mason Ohio (now closed) clinic and seems to be working fantastic for me. Now – I am in search for affordable clinic…
If is good…
If lottery hits me or some willing-to-invest-in-crazy-idea investor open wallet, I can purchase equipment PARASTEP and NxStep Biodex gait system and put together with space & therapist for 6-9 months run for approx. CDN $ 70-80,000.

Let me explain in few words what I have learned after 14 years in wheelchair and after so many Yo-Yo physical rehab attempts, self-testing experimental medication and research. I have figured out that only way to make difference and preserve achieved progress is to stop waiting and go radical & invent my own therapy. [2]

PROGRESS IS POSSIBLE

Victims of Spinal cord injuries can recover to certain extent with a long and custom tailored physiotherapy.
Unfortunately, this fact is not everywhere accepted or is not welcomed with healthcare systems as too long = too expensive approach.
Patient’s are rather sold all kinds of wheelchairs & assistive equipment, told lies of possible outcome as “you’d never walk again” or wishes as “medicine science will come up with cure in 5 years”.
It’s easier, less expensive & stressful to teach such a patient to accept life in wheelchair than proceed with 3-4-5 hours 1:1 physio therapies daily with “uncertain outcome”. This approach looks better on statistic charts too for any rehab or hospital. However, this is not the best choice for injured, paralyzed patients, unfortunately. [3]

IN-COMPLETE

In more than 80% cases, spinal cord injuries are caused with contusion or bruise on one part of spinal cord where larger portion of spinal cord is preserved. Such a patients with Incomplete SCI have more chance to recover – due to neuroplasticity [4] – than victims with totally cut off cord .
It is proven that healthy part of brain or spinal cord can take over function from damaged part. But, unfortunately, this will not going to happen by itself. Only way neuroplasticity recovery happens is after countless move or try to move repetitions. This process is painfully slow and as soon as certain exercise procedure / pattern is stopped, patient loosing whatever progress was made exponentially fast.

Luckily, there are some new tricks in bag that can help this process shorten with more chance for recovery.

GAIT AND ROBOTIC WALK

First, there are different equipment for suspended weight / gait walk training and robotic suites with sensory to detect patient ability to move and to assist motion close to real standing and walking pattern.

VIRTUAL REALITY TRICK

There are also recent findings that “tricking” brain with Virtual reality
can accelerate brain and spinal cord neuroplasticity process.
Group of scientist’s from Brazil combined repetitive walking technique with virtual reality & brain interface achieve incredible results with Complete spinal cord injured patients[5].
Also, more and more researches and companies working toward a goal to accommodate Virtual Reality program for certain rehab procedures[6].

EXPERIMENTAL MEDICATION – 4-AP-3-MeOH

Chances are that Incomplete injuries will recover faster, with similar program.
Incomplete injuries must not have Brain interface (cap with electrodes) at all.
To help existing partially damaged or impaired nerves better conduct signals from the brain, potassium channel blockers are used for decades.
The latest, 4-AP-3-MeOH blocker, experimental medication makes big difference in exercise outcome with less side effects than 4-AP or (F)Ampyra [7].

To summarize above, I am planning to test this combined therapy ASAP!!Gait walking + 4-AP-3-MeOH + Virtual Reality Program
If I prove this with me going back on my feet again after 14 years in wheelchair,
I can help to change life to many Incomplete Spinal Cord Injured patients as they
will have all details of this program / therapy available for FREE !

Right now, I am in search to secure stable supply of experimental medication 4-AP-3-MeOH.
Second thing – I will try to obtain VR program that will help me in this process.
I am also working hard to be able to allocate funds for this self-help experiment / therapy.

Z.K.

[1] I am C-6 Incomplete SCI and my legs can not hold me. I need gait -suspension weight support to be able to try to make steps. In several years, as a member of University of McMaster special gym for Spinal Cord Injury rehab I was walking above treadmill with suspended weight and stepping help by couple of student volunteers and my steps had improved considerably, even I was walking only twice per week by 40 minutes. However, I stay without funding once when they increased price 10 times in September 2016 and I have stop with walking therapy. In some previous rehab attempts and according to some other
walking therapy achievements [a] I know that at least 6 months programmed walking therapy with at least 20 hours walking per week with 4-AP-3-MeOH potassium channel blocker and Virtual reality program help will help me to walk again!!

[2] Yo-Yo rehab effect is known to patients and physio-therapists and could be overcome only with some new, radical approach.

[3] From my personal experience with Canadian Health Care system;

[4] The human brain and spinal cord has the amazing ability to reorganize itself by forming new connections between neurons – this is called NeuroPlasticity.

[6] MindMaze, company with successful VR program for rehab of stroke victims is moving closer, according to them, toward VR rehab program for Spinal cord injuries. Also some other sources of Virtual Reality in rehab found here: [a] [b] [c]

[7] Unfortunately, this new medication is tested on animals only and group of self-testing volunteers (including me) and it’s not always easy to obtain. [4a] [4b] [4c] [4d] [4e]

How Virtual Reality can help Incomplete Spinal Cord Injured people

Humans have ability to move conciously and sub-conciously.
Healthy people are not thinking how they walk and stepping pattern is generated within our spinal cord as subconcious activity.
Conciously we are decidig if we are going to turn left, right, run or stop.
But subconcious cruise contro is the most of the time on for healthy walkers.

Whith Spinal Cord Injury our body is loosing abilities to feel and to move in various degrees and forms.
Incomplete injured people preserve some ability to feel and to move.
This (dis)ability is different from person to person.

I have figured out that pushing power through my legs, from some reason, is proportionally oposit
to my concious pushing efforts.
However, when triggered by reflex reaction – for example when I am loosing balance while sitting or transfering,
my subconcious “system” charge pushing power through my legs 10x more than I can ever achieve it counsciously.

My theory how Virtual Reality program can help Incomplete SCI in rehab process based at
previous concious / subconcious body reactions.

If we connect Gait supported walking training for Incomplete SCI patients with special Virtual Reality (VR) program
we will see VR tricking our consciousness with projection of safe environment to process natural moving pattern.
VR will be acting as a safety cushion for our mind but should actually allow our reflex sub-system to
trigger into action to save body from falling once when sense loosing of balance.
This action could merge sub-concious energy into stepping motion in every step and this whole process
can cause increased intensity of plasticity / re-wiring in the brain
and in spinal cord to follow walking pattern at this way imposed to the patient.

Incomplete injured persons pin the most cases does not need brain-machine interface cap (Brazil link)
as he/she has preserved some ability to transfer signals below injury level and make muscle pattern contraction.
However, depend of the injury level, nerve signal strength or controlled musle power, incomplete injured patient
need certain level of assistence to be able to maintain training walking pattern.
There are several systems to help this walking pattern movement – from robotic legs, manual leg support on treadmill,
to functional neuromuscular stimulation (FNS).

The most promissing system I have tested in Sci-Step Clinic in Cincinnati, Ohio was ParaStep system (lynk) based on computer to fire 6
electrodes on each leg for 3 group of muscles on each side in specific way to enable stimulation for standing and walking.
All is controlled by the patient that has 2 button’s on each side of walker for each leg.
I was supported with gait / weight support system (separate from Parastep system) and safe to walk with Parastep.

Merging VR system with FNS system should be the holy grail for this therapy and this should be possible in relativelly short time.

Note:

As every injury is different, this therapy need to be customized to the patient.
In general in all cases therapy need to follow certain rules – need to develop gradually:
sitting, standing with locked knees first than without,
walking with gait and step support, with FNS support if needed, than weight support stepping and control and
finally to walker level stepping with no gait or FNS support.
To achieve this level would be threshold to preserve progress for sure as patient will be able to take care about him / her self.